The renowned Secretary of HHS Mike Leavitt announced here of the insinuation of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) from today for the United States of America. It has also been suggested in this regard, that the simplified rules have been designed for the prevention and protection against the alarming expansion of the diseases in the international continuum while at the same time diminishing intrusion with the global travel and trade. In due course of action the rules thus brought into the action will smooth the progress of identification, responding to and also sharing the information in relation to public health emergencies of worldwide concern.

The readers should remember that it was in the December of 2006 when the U.S.government officially accepted the IHR and adopted all the necessary initiatives so as to initiate the process the implementation of these new international rules at that time. Apart from this, it has been perceived by the experts that many of the provisions in the new regulations are generally based on the immense experience of the international community at best and the knowledge that has been gathered in the definite episode of the last 30 years that includes the materialization of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS and H5N1 avian influenza.

In addition, according to the modified regulations, the specified countries acknowledging the IHR have a greater accountability in comparison to the past in the adoption of preventive measures against, over and above detect, report on, and respond to, public health emergencies of international concern. Moreover, the set of laws, clearly mentioned in the IHR gives the WHO an additional role to perform and also the full authority to recommend to its Member States the necessary measures whose adoption shall ensure the defense against the global extension of the disease, that includes public health actions at ports, airports, land borders and on means of transport that involve international travel. At best four diseases have been included in the revised regulations, they are the smallpox, polio, SARS and human cases of new strains of human influenza and the sudden occurrence of any must be reported by the concerned Member State or States to the WHO.

Speaking on the initiation if a new direction to combat the escalating international menace of diseases Secretary Leavitt said,   "Today's world of rapid air travel, international migration, emerging diseases, threats of terrorism, and the potential threat of an influenza pandemic, underscores the importance of the International Health Regulations." "The improved global cooperation that will come from implementing these revised regulations represents a major step forward for global public health," he concluded.